Each year thousands of vacationers venture across the countryside in recreational vehicles (RV's). Many RV's incorporate all of the luxuries of a permanent residence. RV's usually comprise full bathrooms, sleeping quarters, kitchens with sinks, stoves and microwave ovens.
Exterior doors for recreational vehicles have many inadequacies. Currently available doors have many pieces that require labor intensive manufacturing and assembly processes. These doors consequently are expensive for the consumer. Many small parts also increase chances for mechanical failure.
Expense and fragility are not the only problems associated with currently available RV doors. Some exterior doors have exposed hardware, bulky profiles or seams that cause additional problems and which detract from the appearance of the door and vehicle. They can also increase the vehicle's overall coefficient of drag, which reduces fuel economy. Seams can leak.
Representative of the art is U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,277 which discloses a door assembly for a recreational vehicle has a molded mounting frame and a molded flange. The mounting frame and the door have integral hinge pin lugs. Spring-loaded hinge pins are captured within the hinge pin lugs and allow the door to swing open or close. A latch secures the door assembly in a closed position. The door may be thermally insulated. The hinge pins may be stainless steel. The latch may be a locking mechanism. The door securely conceals the door frame fasteners when the door assembly is in the closed position. One hinge pin may be fixed to one hinge pin lug.
What is needed is a vehicle door comprising a compressible compartment having a first outer member and a second outer member in parallel spaced relation, the first outer member and the second outer member joined by a member having a flexible crease, a receiving cavity disposed outwardly of the compartment for receiving the foam portion, the first outer member and the second outer member each disposed substantially flush with a foam portion outer surface. The present invention meets this need.